Where the icon of the holy trinity is hung in the house. Icon "Holy Trinity" - meaning, what does it help? Old Testament Trinity with walking

Icon of the Holy Trinity - what is depicted on it? We will talk about this, having considered the issue on the example of the ten most famous icons depicting the Holy Trinity.

The Holy Trinity

One of the founding fathers of ancient philosophy, and with it the entire European civilization, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle said: "Philosophy begins with surprise." The same can be said about Christian dogma - it cannot but cause surprise. The worlds of Tolkien, Ende and Lewis with all their fairy-tale mysteries do not even pull into the shadow of the mysterious and paradoxical world of Christian theology.

Christianity begins with the great mystery of the Most Holy Trinity - the mystery of God's Love, revealed in this one incomprehensible unity. V. Lossky wrote that in the Trinity we see the unity in which the Church abides. Just as the Persons of the Trinity are unmixed, but constitute One, we are all gathered into the single Body of Christ - and this is not a metaphor, not a symbol, but the same reality as the reality of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist.

How to portray a mystery? Only through another secret. The joyful mystery of the Incarnation made it possible to depict the Invisible. The icon is a symbolic text about God and holiness, manifested in time and space and residing in eternity, just like the fairy forest from Michael Ende's "Endless Story", created in the imagination of the protagonist, begins to exist without end and beginning.

We can comprehend this eternity thanks to yet another mystery, far from the last in the world of Christian theology: God Himself enlightens every Christian following the Apostles, granting Himself - the Holy Spirit. We receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation, He permeates the whole world, thanks to which this world exists.

So, the Holy Spirit reveals to us the mystery of the Trinity. And that is why the day of Pentecost - the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles - we call the "Day of the Holy Trinity."

Trinity and “The Hospitality of Abraham” - the plot of the icon of the Life-Giving Trinity

It is possible to depict the inconceivable only to the extent that it is revealed to us. On this basis, the Church does not permit the depiction of God the Father. And the most correct depiction of the Trinity is the iconographic canon "The Hospitality of Abraham", which sends the viewer back to the distant Old Testament times:

And the Lord appeared to him at the oak grove of Mamre, when he was sitting at the entrance to his tent, in the heat of the day.

He lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood opposite him. Seeing, he ran to meet them from the entrance to the tent [his] and bowed to the ground, and said: Master! if I have found favor in Thy sight, do not pass by Thy servant; and they will bring a little water, and wash your feet; and rest under this tree, and I will bring bread, and you will strengthen your hearts; then go [on your way]; as you walk past your servant. They said: do as you say.

And Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said [to her]: Quickly knead three sats of the best flour and make unleavened bread.

And Abraham ran to the flock, and took a tender and good calf, and gave it to the lad, and he hastened to prepare it.

And he took the butter and milk and the calf that had been cooked, and set it before them, and he himself stood beside them under the tree. And they ate.

The plot about a hospitable elder who recognized God in three men is in itself touching and instructive for any believer: if you serve your neighbor, you serve the Lord. We meet the image of this event very early.

Mosaic on the triumphal arch of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome created in the 5th century. The image is visually divided into two parts. At the top, Abraham runs out to meet three men (one of them is surrounded by a radiance symbolizing the glory of the Divine). At the bottom - the guests are already sitting at the set table, and Abraham is serving them. Sarah stands behind Abraham. The artist conveys the movement by depicting the elder twice: here he gives instructions to his wife, but he turned around to serve a new dish on the table.

By the XIV century, the canon "The Hospitality of Abraham" was already fully formed. Icon "Trinity Zyryanskaya", which, according to legend, belonged to the brush of St. Stefan Permsky is a slightly modified version of it. Three angels are seated at the table, a calf lies under it, and Abraham and Sarah are standing at the bottom left. In the background there is a building with a turret (Abraham's house) and a tree (Mamre oak).

The images may change, but the set of symbols and characters remains the same: three angels, a couple serving them, below - a calf (sometimes with a youth who slaughters him), an oak, the chambers of Abraham. 1580, the icon " Holy Trinity in Being", Surrounded by hallmarks with images of events associated with the phenomena of the Trinity. An interesting detail: Abraham and Sarah are here not only serving at the table, but also sitting at it. The icon is located in the Solvychegodsk Museum of History and Art:

More typical, for example, is the icon of the 16th century from the Trinity-Gerasimovsky Church in Vologda. Angels are in the center of the composition, followed by Abraham and Sarah.

The pinnacle of Russian icon painting is the icon Trinity, written by the Monk Andrei Rublev... Minimum symbols: three angels (Trinity), chalice (atoning sacrifice), table (Lord's meal, Eucharist), reverse perspective - “expanding” from the viewer (the space of the icon describing the heavenly world is immeasurably larger than the world below). From recognizable realities - an oak (Mamre), a mountain (here is the sacrifice of Isaac, and Golgotha) and a building (the house of Abraham? Church? ..).

This image will become a classic for the Russian icon, although some discrepancies in details are possible. For example, sometimes a cross appears on the halo of the middle angel - this is how Christ is depicted on icons.

Icon of the Holy Trinity, 17th century

Another example: Simon Ushakov depicts the meal in more detail.

The canon "The Hospitality of Abraham" is optimal for depicting the Holy Trinity: it emphasizes the unity of essence (three angels) and the difference of hypostases (angels are present in the space of the icon "autonomously" from each other).

Therefore, a similar canon is used when depicting the appearance of the Trinity to the saints. One of the most famous images - the appearance of the Holy Trinity to the Monk Alexander of Svir:

Non-canon images

However, there have been attempts to portray God in the Trinity and in a different way.

It is extremely rare in Western European and Russian temple painting to come across an image used in Renaissance iconography, where three faces are combined in one body. In church painting, it did not take root because of the obvious hereticalness (confusion of hypostases), and in secular painting - because of unaestheticness.

Image courtesy of Jerome Cosido, Navarra, Spain

But the image " Trinity New Testament"Occurs often, although there is another extreme in it - the division of the Essence of the Divine.

The most famous icon of this canon is “ Fatherland"Novgorod school (XIV century). The Father sits on the throne in the form of a gray-haired old man, on his knees is the Boy Jesus holding a circle with the image of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Around the throne are seraphim and cherubim, closer to the frame are saints.

No less common is the image of the New Testament Trinity in the form of the Elder-Father, on the right hand - Christ the King (or Christ holding the Cross), and in the middle - the Holy Spirit also in the form of a dove.

17th century, Museum of Old Russian Art named after Andrey Rublev

How did the canon of the "New Testament Trinity" appear, if the image of God the Father, Whom no one has seen, is conciliarly prohibited? The answer is simple: by mistake. The Old Denmi - God is mentioned in the book of the prophet Daniel:

Settled Ancient of days; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like a pure wave. (Dan. 7: 9).

It was believed that Daniel saw the Father. In fact, the apostle John saw Christ in exactly the same way:

I turned to see whose voice spoke to me; and turning, he saw seven golden lamps and, in the midst of the seven lamps, like the Son of Man, clothed with a podir and girded with a golden belt around his feathers: His head and hair were white, like a white wave, like snow ...

(Rev. 1: 12-14).

The "Old Denmi" image exists by itself, but it is an image of the Savior, not the Trinity. For example, on the fresco of Dionysius in the Ferapont monastery, a halo with the Cross is clearly visible, with which the Savior is always depicted.

Two more interesting images of the "New Testament Trinity" came from the Catholic Church. They are rarely used, but they also deserve attention.

"Adoration of the Holy Trinity" by Albrecht Durer(the painting is kept in the Vienna Museum of Art History): the Father is depicted in the upper part of the composition, under Him is Christ on the Cross, and above them is the Spirit like a dove. The worship of the Trinity is rendered by the Heavenly Church (angels and all the saints with the Mother of God) and the Earthly Church - bearers of secular (emperor) and ecclesiastical (pope) power, priests and laity.

Image " Coronation of the Mother of God”Is associated with the Theotokos dogmas of the Catholic Church, but due to the deep veneration of the Blessed Virgin by all Christians, it also became widespread in Orthodoxy.

Virgin Mary in the images of the Trinity, Prado, Madrid

The Mother of God is depicted in the center of the composition, the Father and the Son are holding a crown over Her head, and a dove hovers above them, depicting the Holy Spirit.

The dogma of the Trinity of God is one of the main in Christianity, regardless of denomination, therefore the Trinity icon has its own symbolic meaning, an interesting history. In this article we will tell you about the history, meaning and meaning of the icon of the Holy Trinity, and how it can help Christians.

Foundations of the faith

According to Christian doctrine, there can be no exact representation of God the Trinity. He is incomprehensible and too great, moreover, no one has seen God (according to the biblical statement). Only Christ descended to earth in his own form, and it is impossible to directly depict the Trinity.

However, symbolic images are possible:

in angelic guise (three Old Testament guests of Abraham);
festive icon of the Epiphany;
the descent of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost;
Transfiguration.

All these images are considered icons of the Holy Trinity, because each case is marked by the appearance of different hypostases. As an exception, it is allowed to depict God the Father in the form of an old man on the icons of the Last Judgment.

The famous icon of Rublev

Another name is "The Hospitality of Abraham", since it depicts a specific Old Testament story. The 18th chapter of Genesis tells how the righteous man received God Himself in himself, disguised as three travelers. They symbolize the different personalities of the Trinity.

The complex dogmatic doctrine of the Christian God was best revealed by the artist Rublev, his Trinity Icon differs from other options. He refuses Sarah, Abraham, uses minimal dishes for eating. The main characters do not eat food; they appear to be engaged in silent communication. These reflections are far from mundane, which becomes clear even to an uninitiated viewer.

The Trinity icon by Andrei Rublev is the most famous image, written by the hand of a Russian master. Although very few works by the monk Andrew have survived, the authorship of this is considered to be proven.

The appearance of Rublev's "Trinity"

The image is written on the board, the composition is vertical. There are three figures at the table, behind you can see the house where the Old Testament righteous man lived, the Mamre oak (it has survived to this day, is in Palestine), a mountain.

The question will be fair - who is depicted on the icon of the Holy Trinity? Behind the appearance of an angel are hidden the personalities of God:

Father (center figure blessing the cup);
Son (right angel, in a green cape. He bowed his head, thereby agreeing to his role in the plan of salvation, the travelers talk about him);
God the Holy Spirit (to the left of the viewer, raises his hand to bless the Son for the feat of self-sacrifice).

All the figures, although they express something with poses and gestures, are in deep thought, there is no action. The gazes are directed to eternity. The icon also has a second name - "Eternal Council". This is the communion of the Holy Trinity about the plan for the salvation of the human race.

Composition is important for the description of the Trinity icon. Its main is the circle, which clearly expresses the unity, equality of the three hypostases. The bowl is the center of the icon, it is on it that the viewer's gaze stops. This is nothing more than a type of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. The cup also reminds of the sacrament of the Eucharist, the main thing in Orthodoxy.

The colors of the clothes (azure) are reminiscent of the divine essence of the heroes of the plot. Each angel also holds a symbol of power - a scepter. The tree here is intended to remind of the tree of paradise, because of which the first people sinned. The house is a symbol of the presence of the Spirit in the Church. The mountain anticipates the image of Golgotha, a symbol of the atonement for the sins of all mankind.

The history of the image of the Holy Trinity

Little is known about the details of the great master's life. In the annals, he is almost never mentioned, he did not sign his works (a common practice for that time). Also, the history of writing a masterpiece still has many blank spots. It is believed that the Monk Andrew carried out obedience in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, for which his most famous icon was painted. There are different opinions about the time of the creation of the "Trinity" icon. Part of it dates back to 1412, other scholars call it 1422.

The realities of life in the 15th century. were far from peaceful, the Moscow principality was on the verge of a bloody war. The theological content of the icon, the unity of the hypostases of the depicted Persons is a prototype of universal love. The icon painter of his contemporaries called for the agreement, fraternal unity. The Old Testament Trinity for Sergius of Radonezh was a symbol of unity, which is why he named the monastery in her honor.

The Abbot of the Lavra really wanted to complete the decoration of the Trinity Cathedral, for which he gathered the best. Frescoes were planned on the walls - traditionally for that period. Also, the iconostasis needed filling. The "Trinity" is a temple icon (the most important one), which is located in the lower row near the Royal Doors (through which the clergy go out during the service).

Return of color

An important stage in the history of the Trinity icon was the new discovery of a long-familiar material. Several decades ago, restorers learned how to clean old images from drying oil. V. Guryanov, under a small fragment of Trinity, discovered a surprisingly vivid shade of blue (the color of the robes). A wave of visitors followed.

But the monastery was not happy about this, the icon was hidden under a massive frame. The work has stopped. Apparently, they feared that there would be those who wanted to spoil the shrine (this happened with other well-known images).

The work was completed after the revolution, when the Lavra itself was closed. The restorers were amazed by the bright colors that were hidden under the dark bloom: cherry, gold, azure. One of the angels is wearing a green cape, in some places you can see pale pink. These are heavenly colors that indicate one of the meanings of the Trinity icon. She kind of calls the praying person back to where union with God is possible, this is a real window to another world.

The meaning and meaning of the icon of the Holy Trinity

The Life-Giving Trinity Icon has several layers of meaning. Approaching it, a person becomes, as it were, a participant in the action. After all, there are four seats at the table, and only three are sitting at it. Yes, this is the place where Abraham should sit. But everyone is invited for it. Any person, as a child of God, should strive to the arms of the heavenly Father, to the lost paradise.

The icon of the Holy Trinity is not only a well-known image, but also a great work of world art. This is a great example of reverse perspective: the lines of the table (or rather, the throne) go into infinity inside the composition. If you extend them in the opposite direction, they will point to the place where the observer stands, as if inscribing him into the composition.

The search for God, on which many spend their entire lives, for Andrei Rublev, as it were, have a logical conclusion in this work. It can be said that the icon of the Holy Trinity became a catechism written in paints, set forth by the great ascetic of the faith. The fullness of knowledge, peace and confidence in God's love fill everyone who looks at the image with an open heart.

Rublev is a mysterious person

The authorship of the great image, one of a kind, was established a century later. Contemporaries, however, quickly forgot who painted the icon "Trinity", they were not particularly worried about the task of collecting information about the great master, preserving his work. For five hundred years, he was not mentioned in the calendar. The saint was officially canonized only at the end of the 20th century.

Popular memory almost immediately made the icon painter a saint. It is known that he was a disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh himself. Probably, he perfectly mastered the spiritual lessons of the great old man. And although the Monk Sergius did not leave theological writings, his position is unambiguously read in the icon created by his disciple. And the national memory has preserved his monastic exploits.

Back in the 17th century. Rublev was mentioned in the legend about the great icon painters. They even depicted him on icons, among other ascetics from the Lavra.

Non-canonical images

Many believers have seen an icon called the New Testament Trinity. It depicts a gray-haired old man, Christ and a soaring dove. However, such stories are strictly prohibited in Orthodoxy. They violate the canonical prohibition according to which God the Father cannot be portrayed.

In accordance with the Holy Scriptures, only symbolic images of the Lord are permissible, for example, under the guise of an angel or Christ. Anything else is heresy and should be removed from the homes of godly Christians.

The dogma of the Trinity, which is very difficult to understand, in such non-canonical icons looks very accessible. The desire of ordinary people to make something complex simple and clear is understandable. Nevertheless, you can acquire these images only at your own risk - the council decree prohibits them, it is even forbidden to consecrate them.

Old image in a new incarnation

In the 17th century. in Moscow the icon painter Simon Ushakov enjoyed well-deserved fame. Many images came out from under his pen, including the icon "Trinity". Ushakov took Rublev's canvas as a basis. The composition and elements are the same, but executed in a completely different manner. The influence of the Italian school is noticeable, the details are more real.

For example, a tree has a spreading crown, its trunk has darkened with time. Angel wings are also made realistically, they resemble real ones. Their faces do not have reflections of inner experiences, they are calm, their features are drawn in detail, volumetric.

The meaning of the "Trinity" icon in this case does not change - a person is also invited to become a participant in his own salvation, for which God, for his part, has already prepared everything. It's just that the writing style is no longer so sublime. Ushakov managed to combine ancient canons with new European trends in painting. These artistic techniques make the Trinity more earthly and accessible.

How does the icon of the Holy Trinity help?

Since the "Trinity" is a kind of catechism (only these are not words, but an image), it will be useful for every believer to have it at home. There is an image in every Orthodox church.

The icon "Trinity" helps to better understand the relationship between God and man, in front of it you can turn immediately to all divine Persons, or to one of Them. It is good to say prayers of repentance, read the Psalms, ask for help in weakening the faith, also for the instruction of those who have fallen into error, have taken the wrong path.

The Day of the Holy Trinity is a rolling holiday, celebrated after Easter (50 days later). In Russia, on this day, churches are decorated with green branches, the floor is covered with grass, the priests wear green vestments. The first Christians at this time began to harvest crops, brought them for consecration.

When choosing an icon of the Most Holy Trinity, you should be careful, because non-canonical images are sometimes found even in church shops. It is better to take the image as it was written by Rublev, or by his followers. You can pray about everything, because the Lord is merciful and will help in any business, if a person's heart is pure.

Prayers to the icon of the Holy Trinity

Prayer 1st

Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen.
Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquity; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.

Prayer 2

The Most Holy Trinity, consubstantial Power, of all the good Wines that we will repay You for everything, even you have rewarded us to sinners and unworthy ones before, even in the light of life, for everything, even if you reward us in any way for all the days, and you have already prepared for all of us in the whole thing to come. !
Befitting you, for a fraction of good deeds and generosity, thank You not for words, but even more for deeds that keep and fulfill Your commandments: we, however, our passion and evil custom outside of us, in countless sins and iniquities from our youth are overthrown. For this sake, as if you were unclean and defiled, not just before Your Trisagion face, you should appear without a cold, but below Your name, Most Holy, please us, if it were not You Yourself who deigned, to our delight, proclaim that you are pure and righteous lovers and sinners who are loving are more benevolent. Look at us, O Divine Trinity, from the height of Your Holy Glory on us, sinners, and our good will, instead of good deeds, accept; and give us the spirit of true repentance, so that, having hated every sin, in purity and truth, we will live until the end of our days, doing Your holy will and glorifying Your sweet and magnificent name with pure thoughts and good deeds. Amen.

There are dozens of options that will depict one significant event with paints on the boards - the meeting of three wanderers. The history of the shrine is painted in the 18th chapter of the Book of Genesis and transferred to icons with symbolic meaning, either depicting scenes with Abraham and his wife, pilgrims, then depicting the plot of the appearance of three angels before Abraham.

However, the most famous of all the icons is the icon of the Holy Trinity, representing the Trinity of the Lord, painted by Andrei Rublev.

The history of the icon

According to historical research, the first mention of the icon of the Holy Trinity, written by Andrei Rublev, dates back to 1551, when it was mentioned at the disposal of the Stoglav Cathedral. There they talked about a certain shrine of the Trinity (the members of the Zemsky Church knew about it), which fully corresponded to the canons and could be taken as an example. In addition, information about the shrine is contained in another source, namely in "The Legend of the Holy Icon Painters", which refers to the request of Nikon of Radonezh, the second abbot of the Trinity Monastery, to write an icon of the Trinity in praise of Father Sergei, but this version raises some doubts, although and is generally accepted. In general, the icon of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit has only two possible dates of creation: 1411 and 1425-1427. The first date refers to the construction of a wooden church after the fire, and the second to the construction of the Trinity Church from stone. Both numbers are based on the construction of cathedrals, so the question of the exact year of the creation of the icon remains open today.

Here, inaccuracies do not arise, so this is with the author of the icon of the Holy Trinity. They are definitely Andrei Rublev. Although once, after cleansing the icon, some researchers doubted the authorship of the Russian icon painter, having seen Italian motifs in the shrine, this assumption was soon debunked, and the influence of Byzantine painting turned out to be Italian motives.

The meaning of the icon of the Holy Trinity

As mentioned earlier, the icon of the Holy Trinity has many symbolic images that form a general idea of the event, and also through details reveal the power and significance of the shrine for believers.

The central subject of the composition is the bowl. It reflects the suffering, torment of Jesus Christ, through which He is ready to go in the name of atonement for human sins. The red liquid that is poured into the vessel marks God's blood collected after Jesus was crucified on the cross. But even while the bowl is not empty, now it contains the head of a calf - the main symbol of sacrifice.

At the table, three angels are sitting in complete silence, holding in their hands a scepter signifying power. Their heads are slightly tilted towards each other, and the outlines of the figures resemble a key image. Each of them has its own symbol. God the Father in a purple robe in the center blesses by bowing two fingers over the bowl. Behind Him grows the Mamvri oak, which from Andrei Rublev takes on the meaning of the Edenic tree of life. On the right side of God the Father sits the Holy Spirit, and behind Him is the Christian church, the so-called house of the Holy Spirit. With a gesture of his hand, He blesses and at the same time in an imperative form directs the Son through suffering. God the Son sits opposite. His head is humbly lowered, and his gaze, full of readiness, is directed to the bowl. A mountain rises behind Christ's back - a symbol of redemption, which He will definitely ascend.

How does the icon of the Holy Trinity help?

As for help, the icon of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit is powerful in guiding a person on the righteous path and in cleansing from sin. The shrine helps those who pray during a difficult period, instills hope when it is necessary to overcome difficult life trials. The image of the Three Saints supports during times of intense excitement, experiences, and also helps in making important decisions.

Prayer to the Icon

Identically, the celebration of the icon of the Three Angels falls on Pentecost (the 50th day after the Resurrection of Christ), but believers can read the prayer every day.

No one turns to the Saints unnecessarily, and blessing, because it is necessary, is also not worth it. The image of the Trinity will protect and help everyone who truly asks, one has only to say the words of prayer in front of the icon of the Holy Trinity from a pure heart:

The Most Holy Trinity, consubstantial Power, of all the good Wines that we will repay You for everything, even you have rewarded us to sinners and unworthy ones before, even in the light of life, for everything, even if you reward us in any way for all the days, and you have already prepared for all of us in the whole thing to come. ! Befitting you, for a fraction of good deeds and generosity, thank You not for words, but even more for deeds that keep and fulfill Your commandments: we, however, will grow with our and evil custom outside, in countless sins and iniquities that have been overthrown from youth. For this sake, as if you were unclean and defiled, not just before Your Trisagion face, you should appear without a cold, but below Your name, Most Holy, please us, if it were not You Yourself who deigned, to our delight, proclaim, as if you are pure and righteous in love, and sinners who repent more graciously accept. Look at us, O Divine Trinity, from the height of Your Holy Glory on us, sinners, and our good will, instead of good deeds, accept; and give us the spirit of true repentance, so that, having hated every sin, in purity and righteousness, we will live until the end of our days, doing Your holy will and glorifying Your sweetest and most glorious name with pure thoughts and good deeds. Amen.

This and the previous images of the Holy Trinity are, strictly speaking, non-canonical, although they are not uncommon.

The icons of the Savior, with the exception of the Image Not Made by Hands, do not have special names. The Savior is sometimes depicted in the form of a King sitting on a throne, and is revered as the image of the Lord

Persons of the Holy Trinity, seated next to God the Father, the so-called. "New Testament Trinity". Some depictions of the Crucified Christ are realistic, reflecting His physical and mental suffering; others were written in a conventional manner: the features of the Savior are devoted to an expression of serious calmness and greatness. The Moscow Cathedral of 1667 condemned any images of God the Father. The basis for the resolution of the Council of 1667 was the Holy Scriptures and Holy Tradition. “No one has seen God at any time,” says the Evangelist John, “the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed” (John 1:18; 1 John 4:12). The Seventh Ecumenical Council considered it possible to resolve the image of the Son of God precisely because He, "having taken the form of a slave, became like men and in appearance became like a man" (Phil. 2: 7) and, thanks to this, became accessible to sensual contemplation. As for the essence of God, outside of its disclosure in the Personality of the God-man, it remains hidden and inaccessible not only for sight, but also for reason, for God is the One who "dwells in an unapproachable light, Which no man has seen or seen. maybe "(1 Tim. 6:16). The Lord, out of His boundless love for fallen people, went to meet the eternal thirst to see Him or, at least, to perceive Him sensually. He "gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16), and "a great mystery of piety was accomplished: God appeared in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). Thus, the inaccessible God, in the Person of the Son and the Word of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, became a Man accessible to sight, hearing, touch and, as the Church confirmed at its 7th Council, also an accessible image. Likewise, the symbolic image of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove has a biblical basis, for at the baptism of the Savior He descended on Him in the form of a dove. Such an image of the Holy Spirit is canonical, as is the image of Him in the form of tongues of fire descending on the apostles. Although the Moscow Council did not allow the image of the Lord of hosts, however, this prohibition was consigned to oblivion and He began to be depicted in the form of the "Ancient of Days" (that is, the Elder) on the icons of the "New Testament Trinity" Is. 6: 1-2; Dan. 7: 9-13; Rev. 5:11). In the Orthodox East, there are icons of the "Old Testament Trinity," which depicts the appearance of God to Abraham in the form of three pilgrims. Such an image is quite canonical: God was pleased to reveal Himself in this image, which had a deep symbolic meaning, and does not pretend to be a realistic reflection of the Personality. This icon has been widespread since ancient times, both in the Orthodox East and in Russia.

The Tretyakov Gallery also houses the most famous work of Andrei Rublev - the famous "Trinity"... Created in the prime of his creative powers, the icon is the pinnacle of the artist's art.

At the time of Andrei Rublev, the theme of the Trinity, embodying the idea of a triune deity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), was perceived as a symbol of time, a symbol of spiritual unity, peace, harmony, mutual love and humility, willingness to sacrifice oneself for the common good. Sergius of Radonezh founded a monastery near Moscow with a main church in the name of the Trinity, firmly believing that "by looking at the Holy Trinity, fear of the hateful discord of this world was conquered."

The Monk Sergius of Radonezh, under the influence of whose ideas the worldview of Andrei Rublev was formed, was an outstanding personality of his time. He fought for overcoming civil strife, actively participated in the political life of Moscow, contributed to its rise, reconciled the warring princes, and contributed to the unification of the Russian lands around Moscow. A special merit of Sergius of Radonezh was his participation in the preparation of the Battle of Kulikovo, when he helped Dmitry Donskoy with his advice and spiritual experience, strengthened his confidence in the correctness of the chosen path and, finally, blessed the Russian army before the Battle of Kulikovo.

The personality of Sergius of Radonezh had a special authority for his contemporaries, a generation of people of the era of the Battle of Kulikovo was brought up on his ideas, and Andrei Rublev, as the spiritual heir of these ideas, embodied them in his work.

In the twenties of the 15th century, an artel of masters, led by Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny, decorated the Trinity Cathedral in the monastery of St. Sergius with icons and frescoes, erected over his grave. The iconostasis includes the Trinity icon as a highly respected temple image, traditionally placed in the lower (local) row on the right side of the Royal Doors. There is evidence from one of the sources of the 17th century about how the abbot of the monastery Nikon instructed Andrei Rublev “to paint the Holy Trinity in praise of his father, Saint Sergius”.

The plot of the "Trinity" is based on the biblical story about the appearance of the deity to the righteous Abraham in the form of three beautiful young angels. Abraham and his wife Sarah treated the newcomers under the shade of the Mamre oak, and it was given to Abraham to understand that in the angels the deity in three persons was incarnated. Since olden times, there have been several versions of the Trinity, sometimes with details of the feast and episodes of slaughtering a calf and baking bread (in the gallery's collection these are icons of the Trinity of the 14th century from Rostov the Great and the 15th century from Pskov).

In the Rublev icon, attention is focused on the three angels, their condition. They are depicted seated around a throne, in the center of which is placed a Eucharistic bowl with the head of a sacrificial calf, symbolizing the New Testament lamb, that is, Christ. The meaning of this image is sacrificial love.

The left angel, meaning God the Father, blesses the cup with his right hand. The middle angel (the Son), depicted in the gospel garments of Jesus Christ, with his right hand lowered to the throne with a symbolic fingertip, expresses obedience to the will of God the Father and willingness to sacrifice himself in the name of love for people. The gesture of the right angel (Holy Spirit) completes the symbolic conversation between the Father and the Son, affirming the high meaning of sacrificial love, and consoles the doomed to sacrifice. Thus, the image of the Old Testament Trinity (that is, with the details of the plot from the Old Testament) turns into an image of the Eucharist (the Good Sacrifice), symbolically reproducing the meaning of the Gospel Last Supper and the sacrament established on it (communion with bread and wine as the body and blood of Christ). Researchers emphasize the symbolic cosmological meaning of the compositional circle, into which the image is laconic and natural. In the circle they see the reflection of the idea of the Universe, the world, the unity, which embraces the plurality, the cosmos. When comprehending the content of the Trinity, it is important to understand its versatility. The symbolism and ambiguity of the images of the "Trinity" go back to ancient times. For most peoples, such concepts (and images) as a tree, a bowl, a meal, a house (temple), a mountain, a circle, had a symbolic meaning. The depth of Andrei Rublev's awareness in the field of ancient symbolic images and their interpretations, the ability to combine their meaning with the content of Christian dogma, suggest a high level of education, characteristic of the then enlightened society and, in particular, for the artist's likely environment.

The symbolism of the "Trinity" is correlated with its pictorial and stylistic properties. Among them, color is of paramount importance. Since the contemplated deity was a picture of the heavenly mountain world, the artist, with the help of paints, strove to convey the sublime "heavenly" beauty that was revealed to the earthly gaze. The painting of Andrei Rublev, especially of the Zvenigorod rank, is distinguished by special purity of color, nobleness of tonal transitions, the ability to add color to the luminosity of radiance. Light is emitted not only by golden backgrounds, ornamental cuts and assists, but also by the gentle melting of light faces, pure shades of ocher, and the serenely clear blue, pink and green tones of the clothes of angels. The symbolism of the color in the icon is especially noticeable in the leading sound of the blue-blue, called the rublevsky cabbage roll.

Comprehending the beauty and depth of the content, correlating the meaning of the Trinity with the ideas of Sergius of Radonezh about contemplation, moral improvement, peace, harmony, we seem to come into contact with the inner world of Andrei Rublev, his thoughts, embodied in this work.

The image of the New Testament Trinity in Russian art of the 16th century.

The name of this iconographic version - "The New Testament Trinity", as well as the definition of its composition - "Holy See", are the terms adopted in modern art history literature. In the 16th century, judging by the inscriptions preserved on the icons, this image could be called the words of the Easter troparion "In the tomb of the flesh"; "On the throne, with the Father and the Holy Spirit," borrowed from the 109th psalm by the verse "Speech of the Lord to my Lord: sit at my right hand, until I will put all your enemies under your feet." The first version of the inscription, in addition to the famous "Four-Part" icon from the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, which gives a detailed illustration of the troparion, can be seen on the Moscow icon "Lenten Triode" (Tretyakov Gallery, inv. No. 24839), where the image of the New Testament Trinity is included in the composition of the Last Judgment. The same inscription was on the Solovetsky icon of the New Testament Trinity (XVI-XVII centuries) mentioned by V.P. Nikolsky. Examples can be more numerous if we draw attention to the monuments of the 17th century. We see the second version of the inscription on the icon "The Last Judgment" from the village of Lyadiny (GE, inv. No. ERI-230). S.A. Nepein describes the fold of the late 16th century originating from the Vologda Vladychenskaya church. where in the centerpiece was placed an image on the text of Psalm 109: 1. The second variant of the name seems to be more rare. In addition, being included in the composition illustrating the Symbol of Faith, the image of Jesus Christ and the Lord of hosts seated on the throne refers to the words: "He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father."

The image of the New Testament Trinity in the iconographic type of the Holy See in Russian art before the 16th century. unknown. Probably, one of the first images of this kind could have been the image on the outer eastern wall of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, which did not come down to us in their original form, but painted on the basis of the cuttings removed from the previous frescoes and part of the large composition of the Last Judgment in the same cathedral (1513-1515 - 1642-1643). The painting of the outer eastern wall is the only example in Russian art of the 16th century. a representative image of the New Testament Trinity. It is impossible to say whether in every detail this fresco has retained its original composition. This makes it difficult to resolve the issue of the sources of its iconography.

The most favorable material that allows us to trace the addition of the iconography of the New Testament Trinity on Russian soil is the images of the Last Judgment. On the Novgorod icon "The Last Judgment" from the collection of A.V. Morozov (Tretyakov Gallery, inv. No. 14458, second half of the 16th century), the Lord of hosts sits at the top in the center, an unoccupied place is left on his right hand on the throne, which is made especially noticeable thanks to the second, also empty, foot. On this side of the throne, at the front edge of the backrest, there is a sacrificial bowl at the top. Between the bowl and the head of Sabaoth, the Holy Spirit is depicted in the form of a dove. On the right, the image of Sabaoth is repeated, but there is no empty seat on the throne nearby. Instead, here we see the image of Jesus Christ surrounded by a mandorla. He is shown approaching the throne of God the Father, which contradicts the inscription that says about sending Christ to earth "to judge the living and the dead." In this icon one can see borrowings from Western compositions. These two scenes on the Novgorod icon in the fresco of the Assumption Cathedral correspond to the "Eternal Council" and

"The sending of Christ to earth", but again the question arises of how much the preserved painting of the 17th century. corresponded to the original composition of the 16th century.

On another Novgorod icon "The Last Judgment" from the Church of Boris and Gleb in Plotniki (Novgorod Museum, inv. No. 2824, mid-16th century), there appears the image formed by the middle of the 16th century. the composition of the New Testament Trinity - Christ and the Lord of hosts are seated on the coprest half-turned to each other, between them is placed the image of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. Christ's robes are open and he points to a wound in his ribs. A similar image of the Trinity of the New Testament is visible on the famous icon from the Trinity-Sergius Monastery. On this icon, the image is formed into a rich and thoughtful iconographic program. I know of only one icon repeating this iconographic program - "The Trinity of the New Testament" in the State Russian Museum (inv. No. J3085, 17th century)

During the second half of the XVI century. the image of the New Testament Trinity is enriched with new details, such as the fallen doors of the heavenly gates borrowed from the scene of the Ascension of Christ (an early example of the "Four-part" icon from the Annunciation Cathedral), a throne with the Gospel placed on it and a standing bowl and a cross and instruments of passion placed next to it (on the icon "Saturday for All Saints" of the Stroganov letter of the late 16th century from the collection of IS Ostroukhov, State Tretyakov Gallery, inv. no. 12113).

The question can be raised, on the one hand, about borrowing from Western art both the iconographic scheme as a whole and individual details of the image of the New Testament Trinity, and on the other hand, about the preconditions that take place in Russian art that open the way for these borrowings and allow rethinking and organically include them in the context of Russian iconographic creativity of the 16th century.

The image of the Trinity on other icons

Baptism (Epiphany). Around 1497

Academician B.V. Rauschenbach. Addiction

". PRESENTING TO THE HOLY TRINITY"

The doctrines of the Trinity are among the fundamental, and it is not surprising, therefore, that icons of the Trinity are found very often. Suffice it to recall, for example, the classic Russian five-tiered iconostasis, in which the Trinity icon is placed in the center of the forefather row, then in the row of holidays and, in addition, in the local row. It is quite natural that the icons of the Trinity have long attracted close attention of researchers, especially the icons of the Old Testament Trinity, which have more ancient roots than the New Testament Trinity. Undoubtedly, this is due to the fact that the Monk Andrei Rublev wrote his "Trinity", following precisely the ancient iconography.

If we analyze the very extensive literature devoted to the "Trinity of Rublev, it becomes obvious that the authors paid the main attention to the artistic features of the outstanding work of human genius. The connection of the icon with difficult historical circumstances inherent in the time of its writing was not left out. In recent years, many researchers have turned to the question of which of the angels depicted on it corresponds to which Person. Opinions are very different. Most often, the average angel is identified either with the Father or with Son, and depending on the choice made, the correspondence of the lateral angels to the other two Persons is determined. The number of possible combinations here is quite large, and I must say that the authors give many interesting arguments to confirm their points of view. But there is still a long way to go to an unambiguous answer to this question. but, it will never be found. The most complete and critical consideration of this problem can be found in the book by L. Mueller.

There is no doubt, however, that the problem of identifying angels and persons is of secondary importance. After all, no matter how the question of the correspondence between angels and Persons is decided, the Trinity continues to be only a Trinity. Only the interpretation of gestures changes, but not the cardinal quality of the icon, which is natural to consider the completeness of the expression of the dogmatic doctrine of the Trinity. Indeed, in the Orthodox Church, an icon is not just an illustration explaining Holy Scripture (which is quite acceptable for Catholics), but organically enters the liturgical life. It will be shown below that for Rublev this completeness of expression reaches its maximum. Considering the icons of the Trinity from the point of view of the completeness of the expression of dogmatic doctrine, it is interesting to trace how gradually this expression is being improved and how, as the theological rigor is weakened when writing icons, it becomes clouded. In addition, the proposed approach allows one to analyze the icons of the Old Testament Trinity and the New Testament Trinity from a single point of view, to compare them in essence, but, not referring to different iconographic types and considering in accordance with this separately, without connection with each other.

In order to streamline the analysis that follows, it is helpful to summarize in the most concise form the main qualities that the Trinity possesses in the teaching of the Church.

1. Trinity

2. Consubstantiation

3. Inseparability

4. Co-presence

5. Specificity

6. Interaction

The six qualities formulated here and related issues were discussed in my previous article. The listed qualities could be called structural and logical, because they define precisely these aspects of the doctrine of the Trinity. In addition, the Trinity is also: 7. Saint; 8. Lively and initial.

It seems that the latter definitions do not need any commentary.

When considering the evolution of the completeness of the expression of the Trinity dogma in icons, it would seem natural to start with the oldest examples and end with modern ones. However, another way seems to be more expedient: first, turn to the highest achievement in the matter of such expression - the icon of St. Andrei Rublev, and then proceed to an analysis of the types of icons that preceded and followed it. This will allow us to more clearly identify the features of other icons, the weakening of the fullness of the expression of dogma in them, having before our eyes the highest example. Much of what Rublev used goes back to earlier icon-painting traditions, but when analyzing his "Trinity" it will not be mentioned. It will become clear with the subsequent reference to more ancient icons.

Many intuitively felt that the fact that Rublev's "Trinity" bears in itself a high completeness of the expression of dogma. This is best evidenced by the unpublished work of VN Shchepkin, in which he, nevertheless, absolutely rightly writes that Rublev created "a direct embodiment of the main dogma of Christianity" and, further, that "poetic thought about dogma is diffused in the icon everywhere" ... In a similar sense, one can interpret the thought of Father Pavel Florensky that the icon of the Trinity is "Rublev". has already ceased to be one of the images of facial life, and her relation to Mamvra is already a rudiment. This icon shows in a striking vision the Most Holy Trinity - a new revelation, although under the cover of old and, undoubtedly, less significant forms. "

The analysis of how fully and by what artistic means Rublev has embodied the dogma of the Trinity in his icon will be carried out in the same sequence that was proposed above. The first quality in this series was named trinity . It is possible to show that three Persons make up one God only when they are depicted on one icon (therefore, what is often done in the icons of the Annunciation, where the Mother of God and the Archangel Gabriel - for example, on the royal doors - are depicted on separate icons that make up in turn, a single composition). An additional and very significant technique is the prohibition on inscribing halos on Persons and using instead a unifying inscription representing the Triad in the form of a Monad: "The Most Holy Trinity". This is also related to the prohibition on the separation of Persons by depicting different halos. The foregoing suggests that, without giving a clear distinction of the Faces in his icon, Rublev acted from dogmatic considerations. But if this is so, then the "decoding" of the "characters", which is now often attempted to be produced, to a certain extent loses its meaning, becoming a secondary matter.

The second quality to be discussed is consistency . It is conveyed by Rublev very simply: the three angels depicted are completely of the same type. There are no visible differences between them, and this is enough for the emergence of a sensation of consubstantiality. As for inseparability, then it is symbolized by the sacrificial bowl on the throne. The cup is justly interpreted as a symbol of the Eucharist. But the Eucharist unites people into the Church, therefore, in this case, too, the chalice unites three Persons into a certain unity. Such a subtle connoisseur of theology of veneration of icons, like L.A. Uspensky, says this about it: the throne, the Eucharistic chalice with the head of a sacrificial animal. It tightens the movements of the hands. " The sacrificial bowl - the semantic and compositional center of the icon - is the same for all three angels, and this also suggests that we have a Monad in front of us.

Transfer on the icon co-essence is a very difficult task. After all, this means that the three Persons exist only together (this is already indicated by their inseparability) and always. But "always" is a category of time, and it is extremely difficult to convey time by means at the disposal of the fine arts. Only indirect methods are possible here. Rublev very subtly and successfully uses this opportunity. Turning to all the means available to him (composition, line, color), he creates a feeling of silence, peace and stop time. This is facilitated by the fact that the angels conduct silent conversation. After all, an ordinary conversation requires the uttering of words, it takes time, and if Rublev had depicted such a conversation, time would have entered the icon. In a silent conversation, images and emotions are exchanged, not words. After all, emotions can arise instantly and last indefinitely. It is not for nothing that such concepts as "love at first sight" or "eternal love" have appeared. Similarly, images: a person is able to immediately imagine a beautiful landscape. If you try to convey love or a landscape in words, then time will be necessary for this, and in words it is impossible to adequately convey such subtle feelings as love. In this sense, the image and emotions will always be richer and brighter than words. As a result of the totality of the means used by Rublev, it seems that three angels have been sitting and talking for an infinitely long time and will continue to sit here for just as long. They are outside the bustling and hurrying world of people - they are in eternity. But in eternity, time does not flow, it is all entirely in it. What is in eternity really becomes intrinsic , always existing.

Specificity The person is a kind of opposition to consubstantiality. Consubstantiation does not mean the complete identity of Persons, they are not impersonal. As P.A. Florensky very successfully formulated, the Trinity dogma makes Persons distinguishable, but not different. In Rublev, specificity is shown very simply: angels have different poses, they wear different clothes. But the simplicity of this technique allows at the same time to achieve the fact that the specificity of Rublev is not striking. He very subtly and restrainedly conveys the differences of Persons while emphasizing their consubstantiality, which is fully consistent with the Church's doctrine of the Trinity.

Interaction The faces are conveyed by Rublev in the form of a silent conversation of angels. It has already been said above that the three Persons do not just coexist, but are in close interaction: the Son is born, and the Holy Spirit comes from the Father. But it is unthinkable to depict the birth and procession on the icon, especially since due to the incomprehensibility of God we do not know the exact meaning of the words birth and origin and I cannot imagine it. Of course, the interaction of Persons is not limited only to these two points included in the Symbol of Faith, but is more versatile. Therefore, the image of interaction in the form of a silent conversation, or rather, an exchange of images and indescribable words-emotions, is quite reasonable as a method of visual representation of heavenly interaction.

Holiness The Trinity is emphasized by the nimbuses of the three Persons, by the fact that they are depicted in the form of angels, and, in addition, by the fact that in the background of the icon, on the right, a mountain is shown, which also embodies the symbol of holiness.

Life-giving characterizes the tree of life behind the middle angel. This is the appearance of the Mam-Vri oak in Rublev, in the shade of which Abraham regaled the Trinity. So the everyday detail - the oak - became a symbol for Rublev, appropriate when depicting the mountain world.

A brief analysis carried out here showed that all the fundamental components of a rather complex threefold dogma were conveyed by Rublev with amazing accuracy and precisely by artistic means. Of course, the meaning of Rublev's icon is not limited only to finding worthy pictorial means for this purpose. Researchers of the work of St. Andrew quite rightly pointed out, for example, that the sacrificial bowl on the throne symbolizes the voluntary sacrifice of the Son, and interpreted the gestures of the angels accordingly. They also found that the interaction of the depicted angels (through their postures and gestures) speaks of the love that binds Persons into Unity. All these and other considerations of a similar type are certainly interesting, they try to understand the life of God in Himself, but they are not directly related to the issue that is being discussed here: the problem of the completeness of the transmission of the Trinity dogma in icons. Finishing the analysis of Rublev's Trinity, I would like to emphasize that, starting from the Old Testament story about the meeting of Abraham with God, Rublev deliberately removed from the icon everything that was mundane and commonplace and gave an amazing image of the heavenly world. This is probably what Father Pavel Florensky had in mind when he said that the icon shows the Most Holy Trinity, and its relation to Mamvra is already a rudiment.

In the time preceding Rublev, all the icons of the Trinity were painted according to the type known as the "Hospitality of Abraham". Here, not only the Trinity was depicted, but also Abraham and Sarah, treating dear guests, sometimes the slaughter of a calf by a youth. This immediately reduced the emerging image, brought it closer to everyday earthly life - it no longer represented the heavenly world, but the world below, which, it is true, was visited by God. It should be noted here that compositions depicting the Trinity in the form of three angels existed before Rublev, but the absence of Abraham and Sarah in them is explained quite simply: there was not enough space for their depiction. Such compositions are found only on panagias, the bottoms of small vessels and in other cases when the icon painter was greatly limited by the size of the field provided to him. As soon as the size of the sacred image increased, Abraham and Sarah were sure to appear in the field of view.

The first images of the Old Testament Trinity appeared in the Roman catacombs. Of the later images that have come down to us, it is necessary, first of all, to mention the mosaics of the 5th century (Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome) and the 6th century (San Vitale, Ravenna). For all these works, it is characteristic that here the authors were not too concerned with the transmission of the Trinity dogma by artistic means, they are more interested in the exact adherence to the text of the Old Testament, which speaks of the manifestation of God to Abraham: his tent, in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood against him "(Gen. 18: 1-2). In full agreement with this text, the Persons of the Trinity are depicted as husbands, not angels. From the Trinity dogma, one can see here only a weakened transmission of holiness (only halos), trinity and consubstantiality. Specificity, distinction of persons is completely absent, just like inseparability, co-essence, interaction and vivacity. Later, and by the 11th century everywhere, Persons are already depicted in the form of angels, which speaks of the desire, as it were, to strengthen the external signs of Their level of holiness: on the table at which Abraham's guests sit, a sacrificial bowl appeared, but other "cutlery" ", as a result of which the scene does not acquire the deepest symbolic meaning, as in Rublev's.

The desire to be closer to the text of the Old Testament leads to the emergence of a specific iconography of the Trinity: the middle angel is depicted sharply different from the side ones, he clearly stands at a higher level of the hierarchy. Sometimes the halo of this angel is baptized, i.e. tells the angel the signs of Jesus Christ. Such iconography goes back to the interpretation of the appearance of God to Abraham, widespread in its time, according to which not three Persons of the Trinity appeared to him, but Christ accompanied by two angels. The Old Testament text provides a basis for such an interpretation, but then the depicted is no longer the Trinity (although the corresponding inscription confirms this), since here, perhaps, the main thing in the dogmatic doctrine of the Trinity is consubstantiality. Some icon painters, realizing the inadmissibility of departing from the dogmatic doctrine of consubstantiality, make the nimbus of all three angels baptized, although such a nimbus is appropriate only when depicting Christ and is completely excluded when depicting the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Over the centuries, the completeness of the transmission of the Trinity dogma achieved by the 11th century remains almost unchanged. Only slight gains can be noted. Angels begin to interact more intensively, the Mamvrian oak is now depicted conventionally, not as "realistically" as on the Ravenna mosaic, and can be interpreted as tree of life(although in many cases he is not depicted at all). This suggests that icon painters understand the need to depict not only the hospitality of Abraham, but also the transmission of the dogmatic doctrine of the Trinity. One could consider from this point of view the numerous icons of the Trinity of the 11th-14th centuries and for each of them formulate the degree of completeness of the transmission of the Trinity dogma, following the methodology used above for the analysis of Rublev's Trinity. However, such an analysis, which is useful in the study of any particular icon, is of little use when referring to a large array of icons. The fact is that the average statistical conclusion that such an analysis would lead to would only indicate that the level of compliance with dogma in these icons is always lower than that of Rublev.

The appearance in the 15th century of Rublev's Trinity was not the result of gradual development, it was a leap, something explosive. With amazing courage, the artist completely excludes the scenes of hospitality, removes everything else. The table is no longer lined with "cutlery" according to the number of people eating - it is no longer a joint meal that can unite the members of a single partnership, but the Eucharist, which unites not into a partnership, but into the Church. Rublev manages to make the person contemplating the icon sees complete ternary dogma. In the pre-Rublev era, conventionally speaking, there should have been a commentator at the icons, who would explain and supplement the depicted, since their content from the point of view of the embodiment of dogma was always incomplete. Here, for the first time, such a commentator turned out to be superfluous. It is not surprising that immediately after the appearance of Trinity, Rublev's iconography - with various versions - began to spread rapidly in Russia.

The further development of the Trinity iconography, in which the icon painters tried to "improve" what Rublev had achieved, only confirmed the obvious: if the maximum is reached in some business, then any deviation from it, in whatever direction it is done, will mean deterioration. Surprisingly, the main and widespread "improvements" in Rublev's iconography, first of all, concerned the "setting" of the table. Here again appear some mugs, bowls, jugs and similar items. In this respect, the Trinity by Simon Ushakov from the Gatchina Palace (1671) is very characteristic, almost exactly repeating the Rublev iconography in form and noticeably departing from it in essence. Not only numerous "cutlery" lowers the high symbolism of Rublev to the level of everyday life, but also tree of life again becomes an oak tree, under the shade of which the Trinity sits. The completely conventional chambers, symbolizing the house-building of the Holy Trinity in Rublev, are transformed by Ushakov into a spatial and intricate architectural ensemble of the Italian type. The whole icon becomes an image of a certain everyday scene, but in no way symbol of the mountain world.

Another example typical of the 17th century is the Trinity icon from the Trinity Church in Nikitniki in Moscow. Its authors are presumably Yakov Kazanets and Gavrila Kondratyev (mid-17th century). Everything that has been said above about the "Trinity" of Simon Ushakov is also visible here: a richly served table under the shade of a spreading oak tree, and the architecture of quaint chambers in the background, but there is also something new: an appeal to the theme of Abraham's hospitality, i.e. rejection of the image of the heavenly world (where Abraham and Sarah are inappropriate) and a return to the transmission on the icon of the world below. This is characteristic not only of this icon, but also of icon painting in the 16th-17th centuries in general. The decline in interest in a lofty dogma and an increase in interest in the possibility of a realistic depiction of people's lives can be clearly traced (especially in the 17th century). One gets the impression that the icon is becoming a pretext for creating everyday scenes by pictorial means. Returning to the discussed icon, it should be noted its increased narrative. Here you can see not only the Trinity sitting at the table, but also the whole story about it: first the scene of the meeting of Abraham with the Trinity, then Abraham washing the feet of three angels, then the main semantic center - the meal and, finally, the departure of the Trinity, and Abraham's farewell to her ... A similar narrative shows that the Old Testament text is rather a reason for the icon painter's imagination. It is much easier to create such a composition evolving in time from a series of almost everyday scenes than to do what Rublev managed to do: to exclude time from an icon and thereby make one feel eternity.

The deviation from dogmatic doctrine in the icons of the 17th century is fully consistent with the decline in the level of theological thought and the weakening of holiness noted at that time. The noted evolution thus turns out to be not an accidental phenomenon, but a completely natural consequence of the ongoing secularization of all life in the country. If we return to the discussion of the dogmatic completeness in the icons of the Trinity of that time, then the increase in the number of icons of the New Testament Trinity, which in the previous centuries were the rarest exception, is striking.

Many theologians rightly noted the danger of rationalizing the Trinity dogma, which often led to heretical constructions. The gravitation towards rationalization is, as a rule, based on the desire to make this dogma "understandable", to harmonize it with the usual ideas. The icons of the New Testament Trinity can be interpreted as a kind of rationalization performed by artistic means. Indeed, instead of the symbolic representation of the three Persons in the form of angels, a more "intelligible" form is used. The Second Person of the Trinity is depicted as is customary on all icons of the Savior, the third Person is depicted in the form of a dove (which, strictly speaking, is appropriate only on the icons of "Baptism"). Such a choice of a symbol for the image of the Holy Spirit is quite natural: if it is depicted as a tongue of flame (as in the icons "Descent of the Holy Spirit") or in the form of a cloud (as on Mount Tabor), then the problem of the composition of the icon would become practically insoluble. As for the first Person - the Father, here he is shown as "old of days", based on questionable interpretations of the visions of the prophets Isaiah and Daniel. As you can see, in this case, too, an attempt at rationalization, the desire for clarity led, in fact, to a kind of "heresy", to a departure from the decrees of the VII Ecumenical Council. This was understood by many, and by the decrees of the Great Moscow Cathedral (1553-1554), icons of this type were actually prohibited. The prohibition was not, however, enforced, since the number of such icons was already large, and they seemed to be legitimized by church practice. Issues related to this are discussed in detail in the monograph by L.A. Uspensky.

In all icons of this type, a departure from the dogmatic doctrine of the consubstantiality of Persons (or, at least, its unacceptable weakening) is striking. If one can speak of the consubstantiality of the Father and the Son depicted in the icon, since both are represented in the form of people, then there can be no question of the consubstantiality of man and the dove. Here again, next to the icon, a commentator should be placed, explaining that the Holy Spirit, nevertheless, is consubstantial with the Father and the Son. Compared with the icons of the Old Testament Trinity, in which the consubstantiality visible this is not the case here: the icon painter, as it were, demonstrates his inability to convey by pictorial means the most important position of the dogmatic doctrine of the Trinity.

The icons of the New Testament Trinity are usually written of two types, which are known as "Holy See" and "Fatherland". In the icons of the first type, the Father and the Son are depicted sitting side by side on an altar, and the Holy Spirit is depicted as a dove hovering in the air between them, just above their heads. Since the New Testament Trinity is fundamentally different from those considered earlier, let us repeat its analysis for compliance with the above-stated need for completeness of expression of the dogmatic doctrine of the Trinity, meaning the "Coprest" option.

Trinity shown here, as before, in the form of a joint image of three Persons on one icon. As for the prohibition on the inscriptions of halos, now it makes no sense, because Persons are depicted in different ways, and besides, as a rule, they have different halos: Christ is baptized, the Father is eight-pointed, the Holy Spirit is ordinary. But the trinity, albeit not as perfect as before, is shown.

The transmission of the most important position of the Trinity dogma - consubstantiality- it turns out to be impossible to implement, as already mentioned above. The same can be said about inseparability . Rublev used the unifying symbolism of the Eucharist to give this quality clarity, but here nothing (except, of course, a conventional commentator) prevents the Persons from "dispersing" in different directions, each according to his own business. Co-presence is a quality associated with time, with eternity. It was shown above how subtly and skillfully Rublev managed to convey this eternity, using various indirect methods. There is nothing of the kind here. Moreover, the icons of the New Testament Trinity give reason to deny it. Having shown the Father as an old man and the Son as a younger man, the icon gives the right to assume that there was a time when the Father already existed, and the Son did not yet, which is contrary to the Creed. Here again, a conditional commentator is needed to deny the absence of the co-essence of Persons in the icon. For the icons of the Old Testament Trinity, such a comment is not required - angels are always depicted as if "of the same age." Specificity The faces are very strongly expressed - they all have a completely different appearance. It can even be argued that this specificity is shown overly emphasized, to the detriment of consubstantiality. The icon painter is not able to do what Rublev succeeded in showing both at the same time. Interaction The faces are depicted, as in Rublev's, but weakened - in the form of a conversation between the Father and the Son, in which the Holy Spirit (dove), of course, cannot take part. Holiness of Faces is expressed through halos, vitality - not identified in any way.

If we turn to another version of the New Testament Trinity - "Fatherland", then almost everything that has been said remains valid here. In the icons of this type, the Father seems to be holding on his knees (or in his bosom?) The Son, who is now represented as the Child Christ (Savior Emannuil). This further enhances the undesirable appearance of the difference in their "ages", which was mentioned above. Such iconography tries to convey the inconceivable - the birth of the Son from the Father. Perhaps this is the only thing that the interaction of the first two Persons shown here boils down to. The Holy Spirit no longer hovers above, but is visible on a large medallion that the Son holds in his hands, and, of course, again in the form of a dove.

As follows from what has been said, the completeness of the expression of the Trinity dogma in the icons of the New Testament Trinity is very small, even if we compare them with the "Trinity" not of Rublev, but with the entire set of icons of the Old Testament Trinity. As for the icons "Fatherland", here you can see not only an insufficiently complete transmission of dogmatic teaching, but even a distortion of it. As already noted, the composition of the icon speaks of the desire to show the inconceivable - the birth of the Son from the Father; but this is not enough, an attempt is made on the icon to show the procession of the Holy Spirit. The medallion with the Holy Spirit - a dove - is held in the hands of the Son, and the Father himself, and this testifies that the icon is closer to the Symbol of Faith distorted by the Catholics, according to which the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, than to the Orthodox Nikeo-Constantinople Symbol , according to which the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father.

Summing up the analysis of various icons of the Trinity from the point of view of the transmission of the Trinity dogma in them, it can be stated that in different periods the completeness of this transmission was also different. Initially, it intensified; over time, icon painters strove for an ever more complete expression of dogma, reaching the greatest completeness in Rublev. Then interest in dogmatic teaching begins to wane, icons are getting closer and closer to illustrations for the texts of Holy Scripture, and, accordingly, their theological depth decreases. There are even icons of the New Testament Trinity, in which the dogmatic side is of little interest to the icon painter. He is now striving to make the icon "more intelligible", allows himself what the clerk Viskovaty called "self-thinking" and "Latin wisdom". All this speaks of the decline of church consciousness in the 17th century, however, this is already a different topic.

Aristotle said that philosophy begins with surprise even in ancient times. The same surprise is caused by the mysterious, and even somewhere paradoxical world of Christian dogma.

The greatest mystery can be considered the unity of the Holy Trinity, which seems incomprehensible to a mere mortal. And is it conceivable to depict this unity graphically? It turns out, yes. And thus the icon "Holy Trinity" appears, which is sometimes also called "The hospitality of Abraham."

The original compositions of the shrine

The plot of the miraculous image is based on a story from the Old Testament Book of Genesis, which tells about the meeting of three pilgrims in the images of angels with Abraham and how the elder surrounded them with hospitality. This is perceived as an instructive illustration of the two main commandments: love God and love your neighbor, i.e. Abraham saw God in three strangers, and, serving the guests, he served God.

Compositionally, the image changed over time: from initially everyday scenes with the presence of both pilgrims and Abraham with his wife Sarah, to filling with new meaning, when three angels on the icon began to embody the symbols of the Trinity of the Lord, and their appearance to Abraham was called the appearance of the Holy Trinity.

"Trinity" by Andrei Rublev

The icon of Andrei Rublev can be found in Tolmachi in the Church of St. Nicholas. The icon on this subject, created by the Monk Andrei Rublev, has become a classic model in Russian icon painting. Of course, it is also largely symbolic. So, The Trinity is represented by three angels sitting at the table, symbolizing the Eucharist, the Lord's Meal. In the center of the table is a bowl - a symbol of the atoning sacrifice.

The angel depicted on the left means God the Father blessing the cup. The Angel seated in the center is the Son. He put his right hand down on the throne, symbolically folding his fingers, which expresses obedience to the Father's will, and also that He is ready to sacrifice himself in order to atone for human sins, thereby showing the highest Love for people.

The Holy Spirit, the angel located on the right of the image, as if ends with his gesture a symbolic conversation between the Father and the Son. On the one hand, this gesture affirms the highest significance of sacrificial love, and on the other hand, it seems to console the one intended for the sacrifice.

The biblical realities are also present on the icon: the Mamre oak, at which the appearance of the Holy Trinity took place; and a mountain in which one can see both the place of sacrifice of Isaac and Golgotha.

Holy Trinity, help us!

This image is purely Orthodox, since it is this denomination that recognizes and believes in the trinity of God. The value of the "Holy Trinity" icon is truly invaluable. Turning to her will help to cope with all imaginable problems of concern to a person, to find the right path, to revive hope.

While praying in front of this icon, you can read the prayers that are usually read in preparation for confession. This allows you to cleanse yourself of sinfulness. Confessing his sins, facing the image of the Holy Trinity, the prayer as if reveals them to the Almighty Lord directly, without intermediaries.

Praying to the Trinity promotes the atonement of sins. How does the “Holy Trinity” icon help? They call out to the shrine:

in the most seemingly hopeless situations;
asking for protection from any danger, disaster and disease;
praying for the forgiveness of sins;
giving praise to the Creator.

Place in the house for the icon

As a rule, the houses of the icons are located in a certain place for them. If possible, it is better for them to stand or hang on the east wall - Christians usually pray with their face to the east. Our apartments are not always planned in this way, so there will be no big sin if the images are arranged, so to speak, according to their capabilities:

can be placed at the head of the bed;
opposite the entrance to the apartment;
put on a shelf;
place in a special cabinet.

Where the icon will be placed is completely unimportant, much more important - sincere prayers in front of it.

There should be enough space in front of the “icon corner” so that you can easily approach the images and pray in comfortable conditions.

However, there are two nuances on this topic: if there are several icons in your prayer corner, then it is recommended to place the "Holy Trinity" above the rest. Thus, it is as if the due to the power, incomprehensibility and omnipotence of the Lord is paid.

And the second point: to treat the place where the icons are located should be with the utmost reverence. It is necessary to constantly maintain cleanliness there, remove dust, change napkins.

Prayer to the icon "Holy Trinity"

The Most Holy Trinity, consubstantial Power, of all the good Wines that we will repay You for everything, even you have rewarded us to sinners and unworthy ones before, even in the light of life, for everything, even if you reward us in any way for all the days, and you have already prepared for all of us in the whole thing to come. !

Befitting you, for a fraction of good deeds and generosity, thank You not for words, but even more for deeds that keep and fulfill Your commandments: we, however, our passion and evil custom outside of us, in countless sins and iniquities from our youth are overthrown.

For this sake, as if you were unclean and defiled, not just before Your Trisagion face, you should appear without a cold, but below Your name, Most Holy, please us, if it were not You Yourself who deigned, to our delight, proclaim that you are pure and righteous lovers and sinners who are loving are more benevolent.

Look at us, O Divine Trinity, from the height of Your Holy Glory on us, sinners, and our good will, instead of good deeds, accept; and give us the spirit of true repentance, so that, having hated every sin, in purity and righteousness, we will live until the end of our days, doing Your holy will and glorifying Your sweetest and most glorious name with pure thoughts and good deeds. Amen.

Many holy fathers of the church believe that a real prayer appeal is one in which a person does not ask for anything, but only expresses gratitude to God for everything sent down by Him, realizing that even sorrows are directed for our admonition. And in correct prayers, the hope is pinned on the care of God for the righteous arrangement of the life of the believer.

Therefore, when praying in front of the "Holy Trinity" icon, you need to have in your heart repentance, humility and a sincere desire to fulfill the will of God in correcting your life. And one can be sure that the Lord will certainly hear such a prayer appeal and grant the one who is praying His grace and spiritual help.

Where the icon of the holy trinity is hung in the house. Icon "Holy Trinity" - meaning, what does it help? Old Testament Trinity with walking

The Holy Trinity

Trinity and “The Hospitality of Abraham” - the plot of the icon of the Life-Giving Trinity

Non-canon images

Foundations of the faith

The famous icon of Rublev

The appearance of Rublev's "Trinity"

The history of the image of the Holy Trinity

Return of color

The meaning and meaning of the icon of the Holy Trinity

Rublev is a mysterious person

Non-canonical images

Old image in a new incarnation

How does the icon of the Holy Trinity help?

Prayers to the icon of the Holy Trinity

The history of the icon

The meaning of the icon of the Holy Trinity

How does the icon of the Holy Trinity help?

Prayer to the Icon

The original compositions of the shrine

"Trinity" by Andrei Rublev

Holy Trinity, help us!

Place in the house for the icon

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Prayer to the icon "Holy Trinity"